First Sight
by Fleur Princesse
Summary: What is going through Aang's mind when he finally comes out of the iceberg and gets his first glimpse of Katara? Is penguin sledding the only thought racing through his brain? Maybe. But then again, maybe not. Cute, short, pre-Kataang.


Author's Note: This takes place during the first episode of the first season: The Boy in the Iceberg. It's sort of the beginning of Kataang. Kind of cute, kind of fluffy. I added in one question for Katara that she doesn't actually ask in the episode, but just roll with it. If you read, let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

**First Sight**

When he opened his eyes, all he could see was bright, white light.

Then, he saw her.

At first she was nothing more than a dark outline, but as he blinked and squinted and his eyes adjusted, she came into sharp focus. He recognized her as Water Tribe almost immediately. First he noticed the blue of her heavy coat, the intricate symbols twisting along sleeves and hem, and the warm fur cuffs and hood.

He noticed her skin next, dark and smooth, and the long brown braid that fell down her back. Two small sections of hair fell from her forehead down around her face before joining the braid.

Last, he saw her eyes. They were very large in her face, and blue like water, like sky, like the blueberries that Monk Gyatso used to put in cakes. They glimmered as she looked at him, and appeared very bright in her dark face.

"Are you okay?" she asked, and he heard, for the first time, her voice.

Gentle yet commanding, girlish yet grown-up, it came to him on the air currents and melted swiftly into his skin, making his flesh pimple and his hair – at least, the hair on his arms – stand on end. And he knew, in that moment, though he had never spent much time with girls, that there was something special about _this _girl. He had never seen anyone like her, not in all his twelve years, not among the Air Nomads, the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, or either of the two Water Tribes that he could remember. She was completely and wonderfully unique.

But he was twelve, and she was a girl. How was he supposed to talk to her? He moaned quietly and felt warmth rise in his chest when she looked concerned, so he tried it again. Well, that seemed to work. But how to actually talk to her? What should he say? What did boys say to girls?

He tried to picture what his friend Kuzon had said about girls.

"_They're annoying. Always trying to show off. Don't pay attention to them. They think they're better than us." _

_Aang looked mildly interested. "Are they?"_

_"No way."_

He wanted to smile at the memory, but thought that the Water Tribe girl might not be concerned anymore, so he groaned again instead and remembered his friend Bumi.

_"Girls?"_

_Aang nodded and smiled at his friend. "Yes, girls. What do you think of them?"_

_Bumi blinked his strange eyes. "Unless they can help me turn the palace into a rollercoaster, I'm not too interested in them one way or another."_

For a fleeting moment, he wondered what Kuzon and Bumi would say if they could see him act this way over a girl. They would probably laugh. But he couldn't help it. She was so beautiful and caring; he could see it in her eyes. And he knew that he had to say something, quick, before she either lost interest or assumed he couldn't speak.

So he dredged up what courage he had, affected a pitiful moan, and whispered, "I need to ask you something."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

He sighed and moaned again. "Please, come closer."

She did so. Her eyes swam before him. "What is it?"

He paused momentarily and then opened his eyes as wide as they would go. "Will you go penguin sledding with me?"

He thought that would make both Bumi and Kuzon proud. The girl leaned away from him, a look of surprise on her face.

"Uh, sure," she said, apparently too shocked to come up with anything else. "I guess."

He bended himself to his feet, elated, his chest swelling with accomplishment.

Later, he learned that her name was Katara, although he thought the flying part might be a joke. Later, he learned that she was a waterbender. Or, learning to become one. Still later, when he rescued her, and then she rescued him, he learned that somehow, in a way he couldn't describe, their destinies were locked.

And much later still, he remembered his first sight of her, warm skin, bright eyes, calm voice, and learned that he was lucky to have woken up to such a dream.


End file.
